Critics still vocal as streetcar tax begins

Line scheduled to be ready in spring 2015

Kansas City has begun collecting the sales tax that will help pay for the new downtown streetcar line, but some people are still unhappy about it.

The 1-cent sales tax is part of the package that will pay for the project, which will run from the River Market area to Union Station.

Some business owners at the north end of the line are not only still upset about having to pay the tax, but they're also concerned about the effect that the streetcar's construction will have on their businesses.

The Kansas City Regional Transit Alliance said if the streetcar project stays on schedule, the Kansas City line should be ready about two years from now. Crews have already been spraying streets with paint to indicate where the existing utility lines are.

Critics of the plan said they still want more information about the project.

Sue Burke, who sued the city over the project and lost, said she's worried that her air filter company will be cut off from customers and suppliers during construction. She said the city has told her that workers will put metal plates over any holes so that vehicles can still make deliveries to her business, but she doesn't believe it will happen.

A city spokesman said the real construction work won't start until July. Crews plan to get word of the construction project timeline out in plenty of time.

Burke said the sales tax increase has pushed her tax rate over 9 percent, higher than the rate in Johnson County for the same product.

"People do look at that," she said. "I look at it when I want to go out to dinner. It has a bearing on what I buy when it comes to major purchases."

The sales tax is expected to bring just less than $4 million per year for the project. Business owners in the area will also face higher property taxes to help pay for the line.

Boosters said that while the streetcar route is only 2 miles long, it can be the start of a more extensive mass transit network for the city.

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